Government to launch AI strategy for the public service by next spring

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The federal government has begun developing the first AI strategy for the federal public service, expected to be launched by next spring.

Treasury Board president Anita Anand announced Monday morning that the government was kicking off its consultations on the strategy with a “roundtable” summit on artificial intelligence involving government officials, academics and representatives from AI institutes.

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The event included presentations and discussions on topics like policy considerations and tools needed for the responsible and effective adoption of AI in the public service.

Representatives included the University of Ottawa’s Teresa Scassa, who said there was a need to update the “antique” federal privacy law as it’ll be an important piece of the strategy, and Carleton University’s Amanda Clarke, who voiced the importance of trust and thinking about what Canadians want the government to be doing with AI, highlighting the lack of recent data on public opinion. 

“We will continue to work on the broader strategy for our government but today’s conversation is one piece of that responsibility,” Anand said, noting that she asked herself how her team could “move the AI revolution forward” upon taking on the role of Treasury Board president last year.

‘Reliable, transparent and secure’

Stephen Burt, chief data officer of Canada and assistant deputy minister of digital policy and performance at the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), said the strategy will focus on the integration of data into the work of government, also serving as a model for how it responds to other emerging technologies.

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“As the field of AI advances and it is integrated more and more into products and services, it is clear that we need a cohesive AI-adoption strategy aligned with the digital ambition and the data strategy for the federal public service,” Burt said.

Anand said the strategy will be reliable, transparent and secure, and will take a “human-centric approach.” She said it will benefit employees and “broader government players,” aiming to improve services to Canadians, operational efficiency and capacity for science and research.

Canada has “held a leadership role” in the area of AI, said the minister, noting the government’s 2017 national strategy and the more than $2 billion outlined for AI projects in Budget 2024. She said there is still work to do as countries like the U.K. and the U.S. are moving quickly.

“We cannot forget that, as the largest employer in the country, we set an example,” Anand said, noting that some of the budget funding will go towards the private sector. “I know that there are interactions between these two sectors and what is being adopted in one will impact the other.

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“What we’re doing now is in tandem with the work that François-Philippe Champagne (minister of Innovation, Science and Industry) is doing in the private sector, saying that in the public sector also, AI has benefits in terms of efficiencies and productivity.”

The government announced Monday that eight more organizations, including Mastercard and Salesforce, had signed onto a voluntary code of conduct on the responsible development and management of AI.

Speaking with reporters, Anand said she planned to work with experts to see how AI can be used while avoiding discrimination and bias. She said increasing public trust in democratic institutions is “the objective of any government at all times,” noting that AI must be used “responsibly” while respecting existing policies, like privacy laws.

‘Not about reducing the number of jobs,’ says minister

Anand said her team was conscious it’s competing with “some of the largest companies” for tech talent.

She said there is a digital platform in place to reduce the time it takes to apply for tech jobs within the public service, adding that the government will continue to “innovate” to hire “quickly and competitively” and attract top candidates.

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A new division of the Treasury Board is also being created, Anand said, responsible for re-skilling public servants interested in working in cyber and cyber technology.

Anand emphasized that implementing the strategy was “not about reducing the number of jobs,” but about increasing efficiency within the government.

A timeline for the project, shared at the meeting, outlined that consultations and engagement are expected to run until December, with “approvals and launch” to take place in the first three months of 2025. A working group comprising representatives from different government organizations has been formed.

The government plans to hear from stakeholders from the private sector, bargaining agents and the “civil society,” with Anand indicating that consultations will be “very broad-based.”

How does the government use AI?

Kara Beckles, executive director of privacy and responsible data for TBS, said at the summit that the government has used AI for decades for tasks like analyzing satellite imagery and forecasting.

“People felt safe because it was in technical hands, people who went to school for this sort of thing,” she said, adding that AI is now in the hands of anyone who has access to the internet.

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Anand said managers will have the discretion to determine when generative AI platforms, like Chat GPT, can be used by employees, noting that the government’s guide on using the technology was amended earlier this year to call on managers to have more oversight. The government released its guide on generative AI use last fall.

The minister said that in areas of confidentiality, like cabinet documents, generative AI “isn’t generally” going to be used. Anand wouldn’t share details on why not, but said she’s looking at issues relating to confidentiality in a broader government strategy, with details to be released soon.

Beckles said the government has spent “a lot of time” over the last five years putting guardrails around the use of AI and automated decisions, but said this strategy aims to encourage people to start using and “playing with” the technology, seeing how it can make operations more efficient.

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